The Teacher’s Grace Is Like Heaven chapter 7

7 – Unforgettable (1)

What exactly makes a good master in martial arts? It was one of the questions I asked myself repeatedly after becoming Bi Yan’s master.

Looking at it objectively, I wasn’t that great of a master. Of course I was doing my best to teach Bi Yan everything I had, but

I didn’t have the strongest martial arts that once dominated the martial world. Nor outstanding inner energy or tremendous arcane skills.

Of course, my 10 years of experience living as a martial artist told me those things weren’t the answer. Certainly, what I mentioned before wasn’t common.

But… from my position of loving martial arts novels to a fault, I unconsciously compared myself to the masters that appeared in martial arts novels.

“The sword is me, I am the sword.”

Shaking off stray thoughts with those words, I concentrated on the wooden sword I held. Lamenting over what I didn’t have would not help at all.

If there was even one thing I could do, I would do that one thing well. Until now, without looking at anything else, I only thought about that.

Although the Three Talents Sword Technique and Three Talents Inner Power were the only martial arts and inner energy I had, still, I was grateful for what I had.

I stopped swinging the sword. Although I had started once I confirmed the break of dawn, at some point the sky was fully filled with the beautiful red glow of dusk.

When I turned my head after putting away my wooden sword, Bi Yan who had been training together with me also put away her wooden sword. Then she bowed her head to me.

“You worked hard! Master.”

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“I didn’t expect you would follow me like this.”

“Am I not your one and only disciple?”

“Yes, you really worked hard.”

I smiled and stroked Bi Yan’s head. Bi Yan closed her eyes and quietly accepted my touch. I thought it was a decent change.

The harvest of autumn had arrived, and the cold blizzard of winter had passed. Still, Bi Yan didn’t neglect martial arts training for a single day like me.

However, Bi Yan was clearly gifted, she was still just an 11 year old kid. So her body wasn’t fully developed yet.

Especially her lacking stamina couldn’t quickly fill up even with her overflowing talent. So at first, she would collapse without lasting an hour.

But thanks to persistently training every day without stopping, now she had gained the stamina to swing the sword with me for a whole day.

“Master, there’s one thing I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

“Why do you only use the Three Talents Sword Technique?”

“…….”

“I know you could use other martial arts, Master.”

It was a considerate question from Bi Yan, but that was beyond my capabilities. Although I had trained in the martial world for 10 years,

the time I was directly active in the martial world barely amounted to 2 years. And that time was hell for me. I’m a genuine third-rate martial artist.

Of course no one welcomed me, some ridiculed and looked down on me, saying I was no different from a hoodlum. Although I drew my sword without enduring,

I lost most of the duels, only barely able to flee with my life. From then on I focused on building up my skills.

But I couldn’t tell her all that as it was. Frankly, it wasn’t much different from saying I kept losing and fleeing battles with my tail between my legs.

How do I make excuses… I was thinking about that when a plausible setting came to mind. There were such masters among the martial world’s masters.

A consummate master who was once incredibly successful in the past, but lost all his power for some reason and went into seclusion barely clinging to life.

If I combined that well with my experiences… I could come up with a believable story right? Having concluded so, I put on a serious expression.

“It’s not that I only learned that.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s that there was nothing else I could learn.”

“……!!!”

“At one point, I had a life-or-death decisive battle.”

I deliberately raised my hand and clawed at my chest area. Bi Yan watched me with a grave expression.

She pricked up her ears wide open and listened to my story without missing a thing. I did feel a twinge of conscience from her eager attitude to not miss anything, but

I couldn’t stop here. With a slight clearing of my throat, I organized my thoughts and spoke them out.

“Shamefully, I was arrogant at the time. I wrongly judged I could handle it alone.”

“Don’t tell me….”

“Yes, I lost to him. I barely managed to escape with my life but….”

“So the scar from that time still remains.”

I nodded. It wasn’t a lie. Although I had picked a fight out of arrogance for becoming a martial artist,

anyway, as a result I lost to that guy at the tavern back then and got injured, leaving this scar. It’s not false.

What I was aiming for now were two purposes. Calmly admitting defeat to show boldness, and an excuse for having been weakened.

Humbly admitting defeat and boldly acting was the bearing of a great man. And that’s how it would look to Bi Yan too.

On top of that, the story I just told Bi Yan now would serve as an excuse for why I only used the Three Talents Sword Technique and Three Talents Inner Power.

I thought that with her sharp wits she would understand even if I didn’t speak, and as expected Bi Yan put on a mournful expression.

“Don’t make that kind of expression.”

“Huh? But Master, you….”

“Look, did your master lose both his arms? Or his legs?”

“……!!!”

“I still have arms to swing a sword and legs to move.”

Simply put… I lost in a past duel and became unable to use anything but the Three Talents Sword Technique and Three Talents Inner Power, but still, I can swing a sword

and with just that I’m satisfied… I conveyed that meaning to Bi Yan. This should serve as an excuse for why I obsessively use just the Three Talents Sword Technique.

Of course later when Bi Yan comes of age and debuts in the martial world, I plan to tell her the full truth then. But Bi Yan is still young now.

Now was the time to pretend to be the ideal, excellent master as much as possible. Bi Yan who had been shocked soon bowed her head to me.

“This lowly disciple has attained understanding once more.”

“I don’t think it’s a teaching that will help you.”

“No, I realized what I need to do.”

“I see. Then that’s good.”

“So, Master, could you tell me that story from long ago again?”

“…….”

I shut my mouth at Bi Yan’s words. A long time ago when Bi Yan wasn’t even 10 yet, I had told her a story that felt like a fairy tale.

Strictly speaking it was a martial arts novel rather than a fairy tale, but anyway. It was about the existences called the Demonic Sect that showed ambitions to rule the martial world long ago.

And the martial artists who fought the Demonic Sect staking their lives. Of course it was just me fabricating martial arts novel contents to tell Bi Yan, but

even that, when Bi Yan turned 10 she scolded me saying don’t talk nonsense. Since the Demonic Sect itself doesn’t even exist in the first place.

“But why do you suddenly want me to tell you that story?”

“Listening to your stories makes me feel at ease, Master.”

“I see, if that’s why….”

*

‘Where in the world is there a Demonic Sect? I’ve grown up now too, Master.’

Bi Yan who was raised listening to Master’s stories in her ignorant childhood, but still, she didn’t entirely believe those stories.

In a way it was natural. There’s this unknown existence called the Demonic Sect? Let alone absorbing opponents’ qi or reattaching severed arms,

beings like that exist? I thought it was more plausible to believe in monsters or ghosts. That’s what I first thought.

However, that wasn’t the case. As Master said, the Demonic Sect really existed. Moreover, Bi Yan had directly interacted with them in her past life.

‘You look vexed. Forced to restrain the Heavenly Calamity’s aura with shackles.’

‘If you are a fiend born with the mission of the Heavenly Calamity, I am the Overlord born with the mission to Shatter Heaven.’

‘It is my mission to shatter the old heavens with these hands, and establish new heavens.’

If Bi Yan had not been born with the mission of the Heavenly Calamity. If she had not resisted with her immense inner power. She would have kneeled before him.

Merely by speaking, he emitted an overwhelming presence. If it was an ignorant commoner, they would kneel from his presence alone.

Mediocre martial artists wouldn’t even think to oppose him. Although arrogant, he possessed power befitting what he claimed to be.

‘I am the Sky Devil.’

The Sky Devil proposed to Bi Yan. Won’t she try ending the old era together with him? And Bi Yan readily accepted the proposal as a matter of course.

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To be honest I still don’t regret that even now. If not for Master, even now that I’ve returned, I would readily walk the path of evil.

But not anymore. Because I painfully learned of the agony of my heart ripping and a hole opening, emotions spilling out. She thought.

Just how did Master know of the Demonic Sect’s existence and foresee their invasion beforehand? The answer was all too obvious.

Master had already noticed the Demonic Sect’s existence and fought alone against them. But as much as I hate to admit it, the Demonic Sect’s power is far too immense.

Even Bi Yan at her prime alone probably couldn’t do more than slightly hinder them, let alone stop the Demonic Sect. The Demonic Sect was that powerful.

If they were simply strong it would be one thing, but they slyly took root in the martial world over decades, like snakes.

‘Shamefully, I was arrogant at the time. I wrongly judged I could handle it alone.’

“I will carry on Master’s will.”

However, Master noticed the sly Demonic Sect early on and stopped them alone. Then what is my role as his disciple?

It’s simple. Eradicating the Demonic Sect without leaving a trace. That is the path that can repay this grace carved into my bones, even if only a little.